We can provide you with all of your fire risk assessment requirements.
The responsible person for the premises (usually the employer, owner or occupier) needs to carry out this assessment or appoint a competent person to carry it out on their behalf.
Find Out MoreThe Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999 require a health and safety risk assessment to be conducted on a regular basis in order to ensure that the health and safety of residents and visitors...
Find Out MoreOn Saturday evening, three men lost their lives following a fire at a single-storey pavilion on New Zealand Way in White City, west London, close to Queens Park Rangers' Loftus Road stadium. London Fire Brigade received the first of 19 emergency calls at 6.52pm, and mobilised crews from North Kensington, Acton, Chiswick and surrounding stations. Despite the efforts of firefighters, who rescued three men from the building, two were pronounced dead at the scene and a third died later in hospital. Over half of the structure was damaged by the fire, which was brought under control by 9.25pm.
The cause remains under investigation by the Brigade's specialist fire investigation officers and the Metropolitan Police, so it would be wrong to speculate on what went wrong. But as a fire risk assessor with over 26 years in the UK Fire Service, incidents like this are a sobering reminder of how quickly a fire in a relatively small, single-storey building can turn fatal, and why proper fire safety management in non-domestic premises is never something to put off.
Sports pavilions, clubhouses and similar community buildings often fall into a grey area when it comes to fire safety. They're not large enough to feel like a "serious" fire risk in the way an office block or hotel might, they're frequently used by volunteers rather than professional facilities staff, and they can go years without anyone formally reviewing how a fire would be detected, contained or escaped from.
That's exactly the kind of building where a fire risk assessment earns its keep. A single-storey structure with limited compartmentation can allow fire to spread through more than half the building before crews even arrive, as happened in White City. The questions a proper assessment forces you to confront are straightforward but easily neglected:
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, anyone responsible for non-domestic premises in England and Wales has a legal duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, and to keep it under regular review. This applies whether you run an office, a hotel, a block of flats, a sports club, or a small community pavilion. Following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, scrutiny of fire safety compliance — particularly around shared and communal buildings — has only increased, and enforcement action against those who fail to meet their obligations has become more rigorous.
A fire risk assessment isn't a box-ticking exercise. Done properly, it identifies the specific hazards present in your building, the people most at risk, and the practical steps needed to reduce that risk to an acceptable level — backed up by an action plan with realistic timescales. It should be revisited whenever the building's use changes, after any significant incident, or at sensible regular intervals regardless.
Incidents like White City are rare, but they happen often enough to demonstrate exactly what's at stake when fire safety isn't given the attention it deserves. Whether you manage a sports club, a block of flats, a hotel, or a commercial premises anywhere in the capital, a professional fire risk assessment is the clearest way to understand your current position and close any gaps before they become a real emergency.
At Whale Fire, we carry out London Fire Risk Assessments for landlords, businesses, sports clubs and community organisations across the capital, drawing on direct operational fire service experience rather than a generic checklist approach. If it's been a while since your premises were properly assessed — or you've never had one carried out at all — now is a sensible time to put that right.
Get in touch with Whale Fire today to arrange a fire risk assessment for your premises. Contact Us - Whale Fire
To date, Whale Fire have carried out fire safety risk assessments at a number of our premises in central London and also at Gatwick, Southend and Bristol Airports. Richard provides us with a prompt, reliable and efficient service and I would be happy to recommend his services.
MoneyCorp - Ian Silverstone - Facilities & Premises Manager
Whale Fire completed a fire risk assessment and extinguisher installation on our training centre in Southwark. I found their service to be prompt and efficient as well as aware of the needs and restrictions of our site. They were quick to respond to our needs, despite delays from our end, the service was friendly throughout and they replaced only the necessary equipment. The risk assessment itself was detailed and has formed a large part of our on going risk assessments for the site. Construction Youth Trust will unquestionably use Whale Fire again.
Construction Youth Trust - George Dunstall - London & South East Manager
We used Whale Fire for our Fire Risk Assessment and their service was excellent. They took time to understand our business and explained the reasoning behind their recommendations. We will be using Whale Fire again and highly recommend them.
Alfra TV – Helen
Whale Fire Ltd has provided EastendHomes Ltd with a comprehensive batch of Fire Risk Assessments. Each assessment is unique and is site specific. Whale Fire Ltd has worked tirelessly to work within our deadlines offering valuable critic on document layout and fire safety matters. The Fire Risk Assessments are evaluated by our scrutiny panel – which we receive positive feedback. I feel Richard (Whale) is always there to discuss and advise on any matters relating to the Fire Risk Assessments and other fire related issues. His service has been professional and supportive. We are committed to ensure our residents are safe, and that we comply to the RRO(FS) 2005, and with Whale Fire's assistance this is being achieved.
East End Homes (Tower Hamlets) - Keiron Carroll - Housing Officer
We called Whale Fire after having used them for some Fire risk assessments to look at aspects of our testing and extinguishers and found them very professional and helpful with information on Fire alarms and how to test call points etc.
I would recommend them anytime.
Mark Rudling H&S Manager Wilcomatic.
The service from Whale Fire was professional, efficient and thorough. Great value for money for a well qualified and high quality Fire Risk Assessment. Our needs and considerations were taken into account and the assessor conducted a detailed and fair survey without disrupting the day-to-day work of the office. Highly recommended as a professional company.
Amy Johnson - Spectrum Enforcement Support Officer - Ofcom
I required the services of a professional assessor for a fire risk assessment on a new property for use as my private fitness facility. Richard was the first personal to contact me and his professionalism right from the start was excellent. He assisted me step by step through the process and has answered all questions relating to the procedure. Extremely professional - Thank you
Joel – Performance 18 Gym - NW London
Whale Fire are currently carrying out fire risk assessments across our residential portfolio. The reports are all site specific, easy to read and provide clear recommendations when further action is required. Richard (Whale) is both friendly and professional, and always happy to provide further advice when needed. I would not hesitate to recommend his company - they provide clarity and reassurance in a potential minefield for residential landlords.
Anna Nicholls - Marston Properties
We are extremely happy with the service provided by Whale Fire, and in particular the Fire Risk Assessment we were presented with. The service from start to finish has been exemplary and on a professional, knowledgeable, yet friendly level. We requested our Assessment at very short notice and Whale Fire were more than happy to fulfil our request and presented us with an exceptional report which was detailed and clear to understand. We would highly recommend Whale Fire and will be using their services in future".
Stacey – Scaffold UK Limited
Whale Fire were bought in to do a fire risk assessment on our new warehouse. The gentleman that visited our site was professional and most importantly very informative in everything he was explaining.
This helped greatly in guiding us in taking step to ensure our workers are safe. 10/10 - Would use again. Thank you for all the help Richard.
Luke